four wives at a time, and any number of concubines, and what can we women do about it?"

Before my friend left I showed her our living-room where our dining-table stood.

"And do you and your husband

eat together?" she asked.

husband belongs to the royal family. He loved this gentle wife-but God had given her no children, and he could not think of making her his only wife. She became very friendly with one of our women missionaries, and told her story in this way.

"this is the table where they eat. The Khatoon sits on this side, and her husband on that side. What do you think of that?"

After that I took her to another little room, about as big as a hallbedroom, which has a very rare advantage: two small outside windows, one of which commands a view of the sea and the customs house.

"O, look! look!" cried the woman, "there is the customs house where my husband works! O, you lucky woman," she exclaimed, turning to me. "I would give anything to have that window in my house."

There is a lovely, gentle Arab woman in one of our stations, whose

me and says, 'Now Lulua, I am going to be married again; but I don't want you to think that I don't love you any more. Here is a gift for you to remind you that I love you best of all.' Then I say, 'Oh, all right; I know it must be God's will, and I hope God will bless you in this new marriage.' But when he has gone," she said, "I throw myself upon my bed, and cry until I think my heart will break." What a Christian this woman would make!

Relieving the Suffering

The medical work allows one to get an even more intimate knowledge of the life of Arab women.

At first there were few patients and much distrust, but confidence increased, and numbers grew until during the last eight months before our return to America, three thousand patients were treated in the woman's dispensary alone. Modern operating furniture was gradually acquired and a collection of good instruments; but the rooms remained the same, and behind that pink calico

assured when the prominent Arabs of the town held a meeting and decided to send for a Turkish doctor and establish a Moslem dispensary where the poor might be treated free without coming under Christian influence. The doctor came and spent much money on equipment, but his work was not very successful, and he was not willing to treat the poor free, because he had not the spirit of Christ as an incentive. In a few months he became so unpopular that he left town, leaving all his drugs to be confiscated by the ruling sheikh.

At first the patients were sometimes afraid to take our medicines, but confidence grew. Toward the end of our stay in Arabia I was called to see a woman whom I had never met before. She was suffering terribly, but I feared she might not allow the operation which was necessary. Before I had even time to suggest an operation, she said: "Doctor, do with me as you think best. I have perfect confidence in you. You may even cut me open if you like." How sad it would have been had this woman's confidence been in vain. God blest the operation and she recovered, and became our firm friend.

Our opponents also threatened to secure a Moslem woman-doctor to be my rival; but we were not greatly alarmed at this talk, for we knew that in the whole Turkish Empire

there is but one woman with a license to practise medicine and she is a Christian missionary.

The work was not always encouraging; but one day we chanced to overhear a conversation between two women patients.

"The doctor," said one, "takes just as much pains with those who can not pay as with the rich patients."

"Yes," said the other, "and look at her dressing that dirty ulcer on that poor woman. What Moslem would do that!"

We have prayed that they might see from our lives that the religion of Jesus Christ gives something which they need, and do not have.

Six days a week the waiting-room of the woman's dispensary is more or less filled with women and children of every station in life and all degrees of intelligence. When the

crowd seems to have reached its largest size-20, 30, or even 40 patients, besides companions who do not come for treatment all treatments are stopt for about ten minutes while the doctor takes her seat with the patients gathered before her on the floor and bench. There is sometimes great confusion, with the women laughing and talking, and babies crying. It takes several minutes to get them all quiet. “Do not talk," we say we say in Arabic. "Keep quiet," the assistant echoes in Persian--"you women over in the corner; the doctor's going to pray and ask God to heal your diseases."

"I have rheumatism in my feet,"

shouts a deaf woman who has not understood. Then there is a giggling among those who see the funny side

of the situation.

Finally, when all is quiet, we begin by a short prayer asking God's blessing on each one, and especially upon the reading which is to follow. The prayer is very simple, but God has many times answered our request.

After the women have been assured that they may open their eyes we read a short passage from Matthew's or Luke's account of the life of Christ and His teachings. The explanation which follows seeks to teach the lesson in every-day language, with illustrations from the Arab's daily life. Some of the women will never have another opportunity to hear the Gospel of Christ, so we never omit an explanation of the way of salvation, with its message of hope for every heart. At the end of the reading every one is given an opportunity to buy a Scripture portion for two besas (one cent).

The audience is generally attentive, and only occasionally an especially fanatical woman objects to the teaching.

Does it do any good? We have often wondered just how much of the talk was understood and remembered. Sometimes patients with chronic complaints come every day for months. One day, when we noticed several such women in the crowd, it occurred to us to give them

short test to find out how much they had understood.

"Whose son was Jesus?" we asked. "The Son of Mary, but conceived by the Spirit of God," they an

swered.

"Was Jesus a rich prophet who spent His time enjoying Himself?"

"No," they answered. "He was poor and spent His time doing good and healing the sick."

"After a few years of preaching what happened to Jesus?"

"His enemies took Him and killed Him."

(The Koran says they did not kill Him.)

"Was He willing to die?"
"Yes-because it was the will of

God."

"What good did it do for Him to die?"

"He became a sacrifice, a Redeemer, for all who believe in Him." "How long did he remain in the tomb?"

"Three days."

"Then what happened?"
"He arose from the dead."
"Where is He now ?"

"In Heaven, on the right hand of God."

"Is there hope for every one who

loves Jesus, no matter how poor and miserable and wicked?"

with joy and sold all that he had to buy that field. That man believed

be to God!)

At least three of the women had known the answer to every question, and their faces beamed with pleasure.

From this test it is evident that a large proportion of the women really understand. What is lacking is a sense of sin. Pray that the Holy Spirit may convict the people of Arabia of sin and of righteousness and of judgment.

Worth the Cost

People ask "Are you going back to that burning, feverish, God-forsaken place?" Yes, we hope to go back. Why? Because we are like the man, who, when he had found a treasure hidden in a field, went

Men, how would you like your wives and mothers to be like the women of Arabia! And the beautiful, blooming girls with the promise of wonderful womanhood before them could you give them over to the life of Moslem women?

Women, we are not more worthy than the women of Arabia.

What makes the difference between us and our Moslem sisters? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. the blood of Jesus. Shall we withold from them the blessings which mean so much to us?

Some day we shall hear Christ saying: "I gave my life for thee; what hast thou given for me?"